Panthers host Columbus looking to continue building toward playoffs
Florida has three games remaining on its regular season schedule and would like to lock up home ice in at least round one
Preparations for the postseason continue in Sunrise as the Florida Panthers are gearing up for what they hope is another long playoff run.
Before they can get started, there are still three games remaining in the regular season and Florida's still got a couple things to play for.
The Panthers quest to lock up home ice in at least the first round will continue on Thursday night when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets at Amerant Bank Arena.
Entering play Thursday, Florida sits in second place in the Atlantic Division, three points behind first place Boston and three points ahead of third place Toronto.
The Panthers and Bruins each have three games left to play while the Maple Leafs have four. Whichever teams finish first and second will have the home ice advantage in round one.
Getting back to Thursday, the game will be the third and final meeting between the Panthers and Blue Jackets this season.
Florida has won each of the first two matchups by a combined score of 10-6.
Zooming out, the Panthers are riding a four-game winning streak against Columbus dating back to last season and hold an impressive 12-2-0 mark against the Blue Jackets since March of 2021.
While Florida captain Sasha Barkov has done well during his career when facing Columbus, with seven goals and 18 points over those past 14 games, its Sam Reinhart that has really done a number on the Jackets.
Since joining the Panthers, Reinhart has racked up five goals and 18 points in just eight meetings with Columbus, and believe it or not, he went scoreless in two of those eight games.
Florida is expected to roll with Sergei Bobrovsky in goal on Thursday after Anthony Stolarz picked up the shutout win over the Ottawa Senators Tuesday night.
Bobrovsky has been one of the most consistent elements of the Panthers this season.
Since Jan. 1, Bob holds a 17-8-3 record to go with a 2.36 goals against average and .915 save percentage. His three shutouts during that span are second in the NHL, behind only Buffalo's Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen's four.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday's battle with the Blue Jackets:
Vladimir Tarasenko – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Nick Cousins – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Eetu Luostarinen – Anthon Lundell – Evan Rodrigues
Steven Lorentz – Kevin Stenlund – Kyle Okposo
Gus Forsling – Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Niko Mikkola – Brandon Montour
Josh Mahura – Dmitry Kulikov
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc2oazp9ORM[/embed]
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